<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>[ System Boot... ] by pommu</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28207122">[ System Boot... ]</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/pommu/pseuds/pommu'>pommu</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>No Straight Roads (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Gen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 01:01:45</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,875</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28207122</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/pommu/pseuds/pommu</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Neon J. realizes there's a way to talk with his troops before their bodies are repaired.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>178</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>[ System Boot... ]</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>1010s names are just their colors in this</p><p>fanon personalities for yellow and green have been swapped cause i think theres more canon evidence towards green being the chaotic one of the group!! did you see that man dab</p><p>i tried my hardest to get the workskin to do what i wanted it too oh my god it took SO long but theyre colored coded now...</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>How long had it been now? Over a month since the start of it all. A few weeks since the end of it. And somewhere in between Neon J had been divested of his title and station. Of course, it was returned to him in a hurry once the two lunatics had realized what they were really doing (and the satellite hurtling towards NSR Tower helped speed up the process), but it was quite frankly humiliating that it had happened at all.</p><p>He was a failure as a captain.</p><p>But now he could make it up. His position as charter of the Metro District was returned and he was free to do whatever he needed, with whatever funds he needed, to restore and repair his troops. First, he’d had to be repaired himself. Immediately following the hijacked concert when he’d given his dismal report to Tatiana, the woman had all but shoved him through the door of the organization he’d received his cybernetics from. A cracked screen was no laughing matter, especially considering his brain was still in there. It had taken a while, the doctors and roboticists working overtime on his behalf, and when he finally managed to return to Baracca Mansion he was just in time to receive the platinum disc back and save the city.</p><p>He’d been overwhelmed at the time; simply going through the motions required to save the most amount of lives possible. It was an eerily familiar feeling. One that <i>wouldn’t</i> be mentioned in a rambling war story. Or maybe it would, if he could make it dramatic enough. Regardless, once he’d gotten his head on straight and properly analyzed the situation he had been incensed. Over the phone, after patiently listening to his enraged lecture, Tatiana assured him that her decision was final. Bunk Bed Junction would stay, at the very least, a partner to NSR for the foreseeable future. What he needed to do at the moment was focus on repairing 1010 to their former glory.</p><p>So that was what Neon J had been doing for the past week. His troops bodies were mangled beyond repair, so it was in all their best interests for the veteran to focus his efforts on the flying factory. Once it was up and running he could simply print new bodies for his troops once again. Much easier than trying to repair their bodies first.</p><p>The problem with that, however, was that it got lonely. Years of being surrounded by his troops made him miss their company. Of course he enjoyed the quiet, but without the ambient noise of five practically immortal young adults running around the mansion had become <i>too</i> quiet. There wasn’t much he could do about that while the factory was being repaired. Was there?</p><p>Neon J pauses in his work, standing straight and taking a step back from the factory. 1010 were AI. Yes, their bodies were non-functional, but the AI hub was located in the mansion, completely untouched. An AI - even a sentient one - did not have to be installed in a robot in order to operate. Hell, his phone had AI in it! He put down his tools. The factory could wait a day longer. He can’t remember a time where his troops had been offline for this long. They deserved to be awake; at least in some capacity.</p><p>--</p><p>
    [<span class="text"> System boot… </span>]
</p><p>
  [<span class="text"> 5 items detected </span>]
</p><p>[<span class="text"> Loading <span class="white">1010Leader.exe</span> </span>]
</p><p>
  [<span class="text"> Loading <span class="red">1010Red.exe</span> </span>]
</p><p>
  [<span class="text"> Loading <span class="blue">1010Blue.exe</span> </span>]
</p><p>
  [<span class="text"> Loading <span class="green">1010Green.exe</span> </span>]
</p><p>
  [<span class="text"> Loading <span class="yellow">1010Yellow.exe</span> </span>]
</p><p>
  [<span class="text"> … … … </span>]
</p><p>
  [<span class="text"> … … … </span>]
</p><p>
  [<span class="text"> Complete </span>]
</p><p>[ <span class="white">W</span><span class="red">w</span><span class="blue">A</span><span class="green">a</span><span class="yellow">h</span><span class="white">h</span><span class="red">h</span><span class="blue">r</span><span class="green">r</span><span class="yellow">o</span><span class="white">a</span><span class="red">e</span><span class="blue">e</span><span class="green">e</span><span class="yellow">w</span><span class="white">t</span><span class="red">r</span>     <span class="red">e</span><span class="blue">y</span><span class="green">w</span><span class="yellow">l</span><span class="white">h</span><span class="red">a</span><span class="blue">o</span><span class="green">e</span><span class="yellow">o</span><span class="white">a</span><span class="red">r</span><span class="blue">u</span> <span class="yellow">n</span><span class="white">p</span><span class="red">e</span> <span class="green">d</span><span class="yellow">g</span><span class="white">p</span> <span class="blue">o</span><span class="green">e</span> <span class="white">e</span><span class="red">w</span><span class="blue">k</span><span class="green">a</span><span class="yellow">h</span><span class="white">n</span><span class="red">e</span><span class="blue">a</span><span class="green">d</span><span class="yellow">a</span><span class="white">e</span><span class="red">?</span><span class="blue">y</span><span class="green">?</span><span class="yellow">s</span><span class="white">d?</span><span class="blue">?</span><span class="green">? ?</span><span class="yellow">it been?</span> ]</p><p>[ <span class="red">w</span><span class="green">w</span><span class="yellow">w</span><span class="red">h</span><span class="green">o</span><span class="yellow">h</span><span class="red">o</span><span class="green">a</span><span class="yellow">o</span><span class="red">a</span><span class="yellow">a</span><span class="red">h.</span> ]</p><p>Neon chuckles. Of course. Of course the moment they boot up they all start talking over each other. The only thing he can parse from their mangled text is that Yellow had possibly asked how long it’s been since they were last online? And then Red, Green, and Yellow had reacted to the - no doubt, odd - sensation of sharing an output with four other individuals. At least he can tell who is saying what thanks to the color of their text.</p><p>
  [<span class="green"> wait white ur file name is leader?? </span>]
</p><p>
  [<span class="white"> Yes? I am the leader, aren’t I? </span>]
</p><p>Oh boy. He’d better say something quick. His fingers fly across the keyboard, trying to type fast enough to counter their speed.</p><p>
  [<span class="green"> why arent u ur color! were all our color! </span>]
</p><p>
  [<span class="blue"> Green, please </span>]
</p><p>
  [<span class="white"> White isn’t a color. </span>]
</p><p>
  <span class="text">[ Troops! This is your captain speaking. I’m sure you have questions. I will address them in a moment. </span>]
</p><p>[ <span class="Lwhite">S</span><span class="Lred">S</span><span class="Lblue">S</span><span class="Lgreen">S</span><span class="Lyellow">S</span><span class="Lwhite">i</span><span class="Lred">I</span><span class="Lblue">i</span><span class="Lgreen">I</span><span class="Lyellow">I</span><span class="Lwhite">r</span><span class="Lred">R</span><span class="Lblue">r</span><span class="Lgreen">R</span><span class="Lyellow">R</span><span class="Lwhite">!</span><span class="Lred">!</span><span class="Lblue">!</span><span class="Lgreen">!</span><span class="Lyellow">!</span><span class="Lgreen">!</span><span class="Lyellow">!</span> ]</p><p>
  <span class="text">[ The current time is 1743, September 30th. You have been offline since our defeat at the hands of Bunk Bed Junction. The five of you have been loaded onto a computer in my workroom while I repair the factory. You are essentially sharing a body that cannot move. Try to play nice. </span>]
</p><p>There’s a scary moment where none of them say anything. Did he set something up wrong? Did he say something wrong? But then the messages come in, blissfully organized one at a time now, and he reads them in turn.</p><p>
  [<span class="white"> Is the district okay? </span>]
</p><p>
  [<span class="green"> its been a whole month?? </span>]
</p><p>
  [<span class="blue"> More importantly, are you okay captain? </span>]
</p><p>
  [<span class="red"> yeah those assholes didn't beat you up too bad did they? </span>]
</p><p>
  <span class="text">[ The Metro District is fine for the moment. The situation is complicated, but under control. We still have the charter, there is not yet need to worry. </span>]
</p><p>
  <span class="text">[ I am fine as well. It will take more than a simple beating to break this old soldier! </span>]
</p><p>Neon settles back in his chair. While this wasn’t exactly a replacement for having the boys back properly, at least they could talk. Perhaps he could even expand on this idea to schedule an interview covering the… incident… sooner than expected.</p><p>
  [<span class="yellow"> captain J, i have a request </span>]
</p><p>
  <span class="text">[ Go ahead, soldier. </span>]
</p><p>
  [<span class="yellow"> if we’re in your computer, can you turn on the webcam? being blind and deaf sucks </span>]
</p><p>
  [<span class="red"> shit yeah can you do that? ‘s getting claustrophobic in here </span>]
</p><p>
  [<span class="Lgreen"> PLS!! </span>]
</p><p>
  [<span class="blue"> Yes, actually, I’d appreciate that too </span>]
</p><p>
  [<span class="white"> Just so we can see that you’re okay! </span>]
</p><p>Ah. Right. Yes. This monitor didn’t have a built in webcam since it was more for programming work than anything else, but there had been enough times where he’d attended a virtual meeting here that he was certain there had to be an exterior webcam somewhere.</p><p>[ <span class="text">Of course. Give me a moment to set it up.</span> ]</p><p>It had to be on the desk somewhere. … Somewhere… The mess of blueprints and notebooks and screws and metal sheets was moved aside in search of the blasted device. While Neon was occupied, however, text continued to filter onto the screen.</p><p>
  [<span class="red"> how much you wanna bet he lost it? </span>]
</p><p>
  [<span class="white"> There’s no way he lost it. </span>]
</p><p>
  [<span class="blue"> He’s definitely misplaced it at least </span>]
</p><p>
  [<span class="yellow"> guys you know hes gonna be able to read this when he comes back </span>]
</p><p>
  [<span class="red"> oh fuck </span>]
</p><p>
  [<span class="green"> lol </span>]
</p><p>
  [<span class="red"> can we delete lines on here </span>]
</p><p>
  [<span class="white"> Doesn’t look like it. </span>]
</p><p>
  [<span class="green"> guys wait i just noticed something </span>]
</p><p>
[ <span class="white">W</span><span class="yellow">w</span><span class="white">h</span><span class="yellow">h</span><span class="white">a</span><span class="yellow">a</span><span class="white">t</span><span class="yellow">t</span><span class="white">?</span><span class="yellow">?</span> ]
</p><p>
[ <span class="yellow">i hate this</span> ]
</p><p>
  [<span class="XLgreen"> IF YOU YELL IT MAKES THE TEXT BIGGER!!! </span>]
</p><p>
  [<span class="XLred"> HOLY SHIT </span>]
</p><p>
  [<span class="XLyellow"> YOOO!! </span>]
</p><p>*click* The webcam is found and plugged into the computer, having been clipped to the top of the monitor. Neon J takes a moment to resituate himself. “There. Sorry for the wait. Is the transmission clear?” The light on the camera is on, so it should be, but there’s always the possibility that some code along the way didn’t translate correctly.</p><p>
  [<span class="white"> Crystal clear, Captain J! </span>]
</p><p>
  [<span class="blue"> Nice to see you again captain </span>]
</p><p>
  [<span class="yellow"> actually i take it back. turn it off and go put a shirt on </span>]
</p><p>[ <span class="red">LMA</span><span class="green">o</span><span class="red">O</span><span class="green">mg</span> ]</p><p>[ <span class="white">Y</span><span class="blue">Y</span><span class="white">e</span><span class="blue">e</span><span class="white">l</span><span class="blue">l</span><span class="white">l</span><span class="blue">l</span><span class="white">o</span><span class="blue">o</span><span class="white">w</span><span class="blue">w</span><span class="white">!</span><span class="blue">!</span> ]</p><p>It’s only then that Neon remembers that he’d not bothered wearing any clothing today. Really, why would he? He knew he’d be welding, and even normally he only wears his signature turtleneck and insignia jacket, which are both incredibly flammable. Much safer to just not wear clothes at all. He’s made of metal - his chestplate looks nearly identical to a 1010 model, just without the ribbon - it’s not like he still needed to wear clothes. And then he reads up, catching up on what the boys had said while he was looking for that blasted camera. His radar stutters once. Twice.</p><p>
  [<span class="white"> Captain? </span>]
</p><p>
  [<span class="yellow"> no no no im sorry im sorry i was joking aaaaaa!! </span>]
</p><p>
  [<span class="green"> dude oh my God </span>]
</p><p>Then Neon laughs. He can’t help it. They were still his troops, through and through. The severity of the situation combined with the usual 1010 chaos, the small points that they chose to focus on irregardless of their current predicament, it was funny. How they were still themselves all throughout this.</p><p>
  [<span class="blue"> Oh thank god </span>]
</p><p>
  [<span class="yellow"> im crying. if i had my body right now id be crying </span>]
</p><p>
  [<span class="red"> I seriously though you broke him dude </span>]
</p><p>
  [<span class="green"> ur killing us… ur killing ur sons capn j </span>]
</p><p>
  [<span class="white"> Green, I can feel you trying to pose. </span>]
</p><p>
  [<span class="green"> oh can u? </span>]
</p><p>
  [<span class="blue"> Stop that </span>]
</p><p>Neon’s hand is on his monitor, the closest he can get to covering his ‘mouth’. When the final wave of laughter finally releases him, he waves his hand dismissively. “Not to worry, soldier! I’m glad you’re all still in high spirits! I was afraid you’d be taking this harder.” He once again settles back into his chair, radar slowing its speed as he calms down. “You won’t be dying anytime soon, Green. Not if I have anything to say about it. You’ll be back in your own bodies soon enough, once the factory is repaired, and then we can get back to business.” And until then the Metro District will be fueled by hosting the hundreds of indie bands that just popped up in the wake of Bunk Bed Junction. Is what he doesn’t say.</p><p>
  [<span class="white"> If you’re not ready yet then why did you wake us up? </span>]
</p><p>
  [<span class="red"> don’t ask him that! I don’t wanna go back offline yet! </span>]
</p><p>
  [<span class="yellow"> i get you red. i cant believe its been a whole month… </span>]
</p><p>
  [<span class="blue"> It’s a fair question though </span>]
</p><p>
  [<span class="green"> uhhh cause he loves us?? obvi </span>]
</p><p>Green hit the nail on the head. “I’m not going to force you back offline. Losing time is not fun. I know this from experience.” It was more than a month between his last mission and when his few remaining organic components had been deemed stable enough to wake him. Much more than a month. Neon folds his hands under his ‘chin’, elbows on the desk. “Truthfully it had just become… lonely. In the workshop.” He angles his screen to look directly into the shoddy webcam currently serving as his troops eyes and ears. “I missed you boys.”</p><p>And, after a moment of what was clearly an impressive feat of cooperation without their internal messaging systems, a new line of text appeared.</p><p>[ <span class="XLwhite">W</span><span class="XLred">E </span><span class="XLblue">M</span><span class="XLgreen">I</span><span class="XLyellow">S</span><span class="XLwhite">S</span><span class="XLred">E</span><span class="XLblue">D </span><span class="XLgreen">Y</span><span class="XLyellow">O</span><span class="XLwhite">U </span><span class="XLred">T</span><span class="XLblue">O</span><span class="XLgreen">O</span><span class="XLyellow">, </span><span class="XLwhite">C</span><span class="XLred">A</span><span class="XLblue">P</span><span class="XLgreen">T</span><span class="XLyellow">A</span><span class="XLwhite">I</span><span class="XLblue">N </span><span class="XLgreen">J</span><span class="XLyellow">!</span> ]</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>ty for reading! :D ik its short but all i had was the idea of loading them onto a computer and i just kinda ran with it</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>